to catch an animal in my basement

[bassman211]

I have an animal in my basement that made a nest from my back tail hair. I set mice and rat traps with cheese with no luck. It has my basement stinking to the high heavens. Mt guess is a chipmunk, or a squirrel . How do I get rid of it. HELP. THANKS

[BowEd]

I'd say a different type bait maybe.Some grain????Other than that your doing what you can.
Poison will get him too but then it'll stink a while longer....ha ha.Have you seen it's droppings or scat?That's probably what's stinking.
He's trying to establish a warmer place to live than outside.Sometimes activity down there can drive them out but they can be determined.
I've used multiple catch type boxes with bait inside before too.They walk up a grade that toggles and their weight dumps them into the sealed compartment in the steel sheet metal box.

[GlisGlis]

peanuts butter usually is very effective 
search youtube for "Shawn woods mousetraps". full of informations

[Pat B]

For mouse traps I use pieces or pecan or walnut wired to the mouse trap. Mice can lick peanut butter off without setting off the trap. If it is a squirrel or chipmunk the peanut butter or nuts or grain would work well. If you have a small Have a Heart trap baited with nuts or grains would work too.

[WhistlingBadger]

+1 for peanut butter.  Or borrow a farm cat and lock it in the basement for a few days.  Or make yourself a Mouse Slayer.   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR0zFDzaSkA

[osage outlaw]

A trail camera and some bait would tell you what you are dealing with.  Then you will know what kind of traps are needed. 

[Piddler]

Cat
Piddler

[bassman211]

 The scat is longer than mice ,or rat scat. I left a loose bag of sinew on my work bench that it destroyed.  He ate a lot of it, and it has dragged elk horn tip over lays that I cut  to it's nest. I found the nest , and got rid of it. Smelled terrible.  I have a big rat trap set with bacon on it. It seems it eats protein. If that doesn't work I will try some of your suggestions next. I fumed the basement. It is now a waiting game. Thanks guys.

[bradsmith2010]

alien for sure

[willie]

strong musty smell? mink and weasels have scent glands

if big rat trap gets sprung, get a #2

[Muskyman]

Maybe you could build a runway of some sort and set a 110 conibear trap in front of it, if it’s a squirrel or rat. Rat trap will deal with a chipmunk, maybe a squirrel too. I’ve done several chipmunks in with those. 
Good luck, I hate uninvited company.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I use these little green balls that look like Trix kids cereal. They are made from fish and death. Anything that eats them, and everything will, dies. I have great luck killing anything I want to with them. TSC is where I buy them. If you decide to use them you have to be VERY careful if you have pets that can access your basement. Odds are you wont find the critter and will have to deal with the stink for a week or three.

[bassman211]

Thanks for all the info guys, and I will keep every ones input in mind.

[Eric Krewson]

When I have a garden invader and aren't sure what it is, I put up a trail came to catch it in the act so I know how to eliminate it.

The ground hog got a 22-bullet sent from inside my garage, the snare in the picture didn't catch him. The muscadine stealing coon found a dog proof coon trap.

[Eric Krewson]

I let this little thief have all the muscadines it wanted;